East Coast refineries not damaged by Sandy

Eight oil refineries that make up about 8 percent of U.S. refining capacity sit in the area hit by Hurricane Sandy. Nearly all of them were affected by the superstorm. Most shut down or ran at reduced rates and are cranking up to normal operations. But two have no power and it’s unclear when they […]

The world’s most prosperous countries

The most prosperous nations 1. Norway 2. Denmark 3. Sweden 4. Australia 5. New Zealand 6. Canada 7. Finland 8. Netherlands 9. Switzerland 10. Ireland   Scandinavian winners Scandinavian countries lead the way in this year’s study.   Norway retains its position as the most prosperous nation for the fourth year running. Denmark too has […]

Slowing the Pace of Consumerism by Design

A new book, Architecture & Design versus Consumerism: How design activism confronts growth (Earthscan/Routledge 2012), helps close the “meaning” gap between architecture and design’s potential for social good and the ruthless commercialism and consumerism that serve as the context for the professions. This excerpt, part of a a virtual book tour during October and November, […]

Russian Domination of Germany: Consequences of Peak Oil

Germany is highly dependent upon Russia for crude oil imports, namely 40 percent. Germany also imported 14.1% of its oil from Norway and 10.7% from Great Britain. All together, Germany imports 93 percent of its oil from all sources. Here is a graph of impressive Russian oil production:                   […]

Reducing Agriculture’s High Energy Costs

Click to play 47:26 minutes (21.71 MB) UVM Lecturer Eric Garza on the energy use–and energy production in the US food system. The food system now consumes 14 calories of fossil fuel for every calorie of food produced. Garza will be on a panel at UVM’s conference on Biophysical Economics this weekend that looks at […]

Turning point in history determined by human consumption

I am the 80,564,737,269th person to have lived since history began. Consider that. I’ve been alive for 7,628 days, and slept for almost 7 years. I spent 745 hours in the classroom so far, with another semester and graduate school to go. I am among a United States population of over 311 million. Almost 5.5 billion […]

Why Energy May Be Abundant But Not Cheap

It doesn’t matter how abundant liquid fossil fuels might be; it’s their cost that impacts the economy. Many people think “peak oil” is about the world is “running out of oil.” Actually, “peak oil” is about the world running out of cheap, easy-to-get oil. That means fossil fuels might be abundant (supply exceeds demand) for […]

Peak oil may already be here, and the knock on effect could range from bad to truly awful

Tightening oil supply could have larger implications on the world economy, with a large shock scenario capable of knocking off a full percentage point in annual GDP in both the eurozone and the USA, according to an IMF study. A highly readable report by Michael Kumhof and Dirk Muir, Oil and the World Economy: Some Possible […]

End of growth: How to achieve a truly sustainable future Featuring Jeff Rubin and David Suzuki

From the Western University, Canada via YouTube: Consider today’s sociopolitical landscape and it’s likely you’ll note the environment and the economy don’t exactly go hand in hand. In reality, the two are inextricable and, increasingly, need to be treated as such, according to Jeff Rubin, the award-winning economist who, along with David Suzuki, wraps up […]

IMF study: Peak oil could do serious damage to the global economy

The world isn’t going to run out of oil anytime soon. But there’s still concern among various geologists and analysts that our oil supply won’t grow as quickly or as easily as it used to. We’ll have to resort to harder-to-drill oil to satisfy our crude habits. More expensive oil. That would push prices up. And […]

Peak Oil, Peak PAP, Peak Singapore and the Golden Age

Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production is expected to enter terminal decline. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil When we talk about the golden age of Singapore, we are also referring to a stage that we have reached the maximum of our growth and development.  […]

China’s natgas consumption seen at 230 bcm in 2015

Natural gas consumption in China, the world’s top energy user, is expected to be 230 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2015, while supply of gas, including imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) and unconventional gas, is expected to exceed 260 bcm, the National Development and Reform Commission said on Friday. The International Energy Agency (IEA) said […]

An Economic Theory of Limited Oil Supply

We seem to hear two versions of the story of limited oil supply: 1. The economists’ view, saying that the issue is a simple problem of supply and demand. Substitution, higher prices, demand destruction, greater efficiency, and increased production of oil at higher prices will save the day. 2. A version of Hubbert’s peak oil […]

Canadians could free themselves from oil imports, but will they?

You are not alone if you think it’s odd that Canada–the world’s ninth largest exporter of crude oil and petroleum products and the main supplier of oil imports to the United States–is itself a longtime oil importer, importing more than 40 percent of its oil needs this year. The situation results from historical pipeline development […]

The Myth of Affordable Energy – Interview with Ed Dolan

We were fortunate enough to speak with the well known economist Ed Dolan on various energy and economic issues. In the interview Ed talks about the following: • Why cheap energy is not vital to economic growth • Why high oil prices aren’t necessarily a bad thing • Why the U.S. Oil and gas boom […]

An economy awash in oil

Marion King Hubbert’s famous theory of “peak oil” has gained a great deal of traction in the scientific literature of various fields. Want to read up on peak oil and urban planning? Check. Peak oil and tourism? No problem, you’re not the first. Peak oil and public health? Where to even begin? There have been […]

Call it eco-agriculture

“Call it eco-agriculture, sustainable agriculture, organic farming, or agroforestry, it is the future of food and humanity’s relationship with our home planet.” The Great Change by Albert Bates

U.S. Winter Seen Harsher Than Last Year, Boosting Fuel Demand

The coming U.S. winter will probably be cooler than a year ago, boosting demand for heating fuels such as natural gas, a panel of forecasters said. While December will be warmer than normal, temperatures will drop through February, increasing natural gas use by 13 percent over the same period from last year, Commodity Weather Group […]

Degrowth offers alternative to global consumer culture

If everyone lived like the average American, according to the Global Footprint Network, the Earth could sustain only 1.7 billion people — a quarter of today’s population — without undermining the planet’s physical and biological systems. Over-consumption in industrialized societies and among developing world elites causes lasting environmental and human impacts. In his chapter, “The […]

Push is on to Fuel Vehicles with Natural Gas

A natural gas boom in Pennsylvania is not only helping to heat homes, but it can also help fuel cars and trucks! The push is on to get companies to switch to natural gas vehicles and to build fueling stations. CNG stands for compressed natural gas. These days, it’s cheaper than gasoline you use in […]

You built that: 3 top strategies for resilience

President Obama aroused the GOP’s ire for reminding business owners of the obvious point that their success relies in part on roads and bridges built at public expense. But the rest of us would do well not to place too much faith in big government in the uncertain times coming with peak oil, climate change and […]

Forthcoming World Resources Report Will Focus on Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture

Today is World Food Day, a chance for people all over the world to focus on approaches to end global hunger. Celebrated each year to commemorate the founding of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), this day provides us with an opportunity to assess where the world is today in regard to food security […]

Culprit behind High Cost of Gasoline: U.S. Exports

In the Boston Globe (10/12/2012), Congressman Ed Markey noted that gasoline prices are increasing (8 percent), while crude oil prices have decline (7 percent) during the past four weeks.  He wants the Federal Trade Commission to determine whether price gouging can account for increasing gasoline prices. The U.S. Department of Energy attempted to assure motorists […]

Smart Cities and the Smart Grid

There are natural parallels between the Smart Grid and smart cities in terms of concepts and deployments.  Both rely on ICT technologies and M2M (machine to machine) communications applications to enable devices and systems to be remotely monitored and controlled.  Both are infrastructure plays that often require significant financial investments and have payback periods that […]

Mexico Has World’s Highest Level of Energy Security

Mexico, which has monopoly power over its oil production and sales, has the world’s highest level of energy security, according to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce study of the largest energy-consuming nations. The government-owned Petroleos Mexicanos ranks among the world’s largest oil companies while Mexico’s energy expenditures and carbon-dioxide emissions per person are relatively low, […]

Waking giant-Marcellus Shale bullies U.S. gas market

U.S. natural gas prices escaped a rout this summer as record heat helped reduce towering inventory levels. This winter, fierce cold will be needed to help absorb the newest barrage of supply that will again test the limits of an over-supplied market. Up to $3 billion worth of new pipelines connecting to the Marcellus Shale […]

No risk of oil price collapse despite demand slowdown: Aramco CEO

The global energy industry faces downward pressure on demand while supply of fossil fuels has risen sharply but there is no risk of a price collapse, Saudi Aramco CEO Khalid al-Falih was quoted as saying Monday. “Our industry now faces downward pressure on demand; supply abundance; a slowdown in the deployment of renewables; and reduced […]

The Potential for a Heating Oil Crisis

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) last week reported on a potential crisis for heating oil customers in the Northeast part of the United States. In This Week in Petroleum (TWIP), the EIA reported: For the week ending October 5, distillate inventories in the U.S. Northeast (PADDs 1A and 1B) were 28.3 million barrels, about 21.5 […]

Ugo Bardi: Italy implodes

Image: fuel consumption in Italy. Slightly modified from “Mondo Elettrico” (click to enlarge) In a post that I published in 2008, I wondered whether Italy could survive as an industrialized country with oil over $ 100 per barrel. Four years later, we have seen oil prices going through a cycle of collapse and return to […]

Peak Lithium: Death Blow For Electric Cars?

Economists and investors love to argue over the peak oil theory, and what the impact will be for a shrinking high EROEI oil supply means for the global economy. Some think we’ll switch to natural gas and electric vehicles, some put their faith in biofuels, and some claim that we still have so much oil […]

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